BroLab Collective’s large scale public sculpture, Stack and Rack, consists of 16 brightly colored wooden cubes which can be assembled in numerous configurations. The interactive site-specific work inhabited downtown Newark’s Broad Street during the October 2012 Open Doors and Studio Tour. The exhibition at Gallery Aferro consists of all sixteen components from the outdoor work, now reconfigured and installed in Gallery Aferro's Liminal Space alongside a series of photographs taken from last fall’s viewing. BroLab Collective’s members will host a panel discussion moderated by Jeanne Brasile and book signing event on May 18 to celebrate the release of their catalog "BroLab: Some Work Until Now" which discusses Stack and Rack as well as previous projects. Copies of the catalog will be available for purchase.
The collective BroLab was established in 2009 by five artists with like ideas all seeking something bigger than their individual practices. Rahul Alexander, Jonathan Brand, Adam Brent, Ryan Roa and Travis LeRoy Southworth have built a practice bridging art and design principles exploring minimalist objects where people can interact with both the artists and the work. BroLab’s broad vision includes public sculpture, place making and site-specific interventions. In the canon of collective art, BroLab presents an alternative model by working intuitively, connecting art to a live activity of both making and engagement. BroLab has received critical attention from Architect Magazine, New York Press, L Magazine, NY Daily News, The Times Ledger and artcritical.com. BroLab has exhibited at notable venues and institutions such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, The Bronx River Arts Center, the Festival for New Ideas and The Center for Book Arts. BroLab has completed successful commissions for the NYC DOT Urban Art Program, the NY Public Library and the Newark Arts Council. Ongoing projects include a commission for the Bronx Museum, a transformative installation for the lobby, as well as a catalog marking recent work as granted by the Elizabeth Firestone Foundation.

BroLab Collective's forthcoming catalogue "Some Stuff Until Now" is made possible by a grant from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.

This program has been made possible, in part, by an ARTSTART project grant from the Newark Arts Council

Index Art Center presents “Ryan Roa: Iterations,” a site-responsive installation created entirely of rubber bungee cords. Arranged in a series of “x” shapes that spring from the walls, ceiling and floor -- the gallery is activated by repetitions of sharp lines and forms that create a sense of volubility and the tension that is inherent to the materials. While experiencing the space, visitors are presented with a series of relationships with the objects, the physical space of the gallery and their encounters with both. Varying vantage points reveal a dynamic and changing interplay of overlapping lines and forms that shift as the work is navigated.

Curator Jeanne Brasile describes the installation as “a choreographed space that enhances the gallery environment and the viewers’ relation to that as well as Ryan Roa’s art. It can be construed as either a series of individual sculptures or one large sculpture depending upon audience perception. Ultimately, it is an open-ended artwork that is to be experienced and uniquely understood by each participant.” Ryan Roa’s artwork has been featured in a number of exhibitions in many prominent venues including; El Museo del Barrio’s most recent bienal, The (S)-Files and The Moscow Museum of Modern Art’s International Biennale as well as exhibitions at The Jersey City Museum, The Queens Museum of Art, The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, The Jamaica Center for the Arts and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Ryan Roa earned his M.F.A at Hunter College in Manhattan. He currently lives and works in New York.

Index Art Center was established in May 2009 by three of Redsaw Art’s former founders; Lowell Craig, Seth Goodwin, and DC Smith. Their mission is to help strengthen and revitalize Newark’s emerging art scene. They wish to create an environment where the local community and artists of all media can come together and take part in a unique dialogue, one which affirms Newark as a center for contemporary art. Index Art Center is located at 585 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey between Central Avenue and New Street. It is easily accessible by car, The PATH and NJ Transit. Hours are Thursdays 6 to 9pm, Fridays and Saturdays 1 – 4pm and by appointment. Admission is free and open to the public.